Today is the
third session of six and I’m thinking this is becoming old hat. The routine
goes something like this. You arrive, get blood work done, see the Oncologist and then Chemo. A process that takes about 4 hours. The chemo experience itself isn’t that rough. When it is your turn you are hooked up to an IV machine, given a bag of Benadryl to counter act any possible allergic reactions and 2 Zantacs pills for acid reflux. Finally the drug is administered; ice gloves and shoes are applied and 1 ½ hours later it is time to go home. Today it seems is going to be a bit longer we are a half an hour behind seeing the Dr and that backs everything else up. Getting the chemo itself isn’t all that bad but the side effects and changes the body take some getting use to.
It was my intention
to work through the sessions taking only the actual chemo day off. Well I
wasn’t prepared for how much this would knock me on my ass. First I didn’t
sleep at all the first night, went to work for the evening shift and was just
bagged, by the end of the first week I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing. I
knew I was at work, I was told I did my job properly but if you told me that I
did something unusual or wrong I wouldn’t be able to deny it. Consequently I
needed to take the next day off. I now take the week of chemo off, rest when I’m
tired, watch for signs of infection and look after my health. So I catch up on
my reading and generally chill. That certainly made the next session easier. During the second week I slept through the
night but also during the day, this week I slept to 4am and then, bing, wide
awake.
One of the side effects that really gets to me
is the loss of taste and the powdery zinc taste in my mouth. Many of you know
of my love of food so you also know how much of a loss this is, although it
hasn’t stopped my weight from going up. J
The general weariness by supper time is also something I’m not used to, this is
an extreme measure to keep an A.D.D. person quiet. I have also have begun to
lose my hair. Somewhere just after week one , it felt as if each one of the
hairs On my head had turn to pins and when I lay down the pins where pushing
into my scalp. Then clumps of hair kept falling out. Sooooo we shaved my head
down to just above fuzz in my effort to look more like Earl Dunham and less
like Zzorhn Carlson.
Everyone seems to like the new look but
me, I miss my thick hair. Don’t get me wrong if this means the evil inside is
gone and I never get the hair back then I’ll join my brothers in the Telly
Savalis club rather than wear a toupee. I shaved my beard down thinking it
would also disappear, it hasn’t in fact it seems to have grown some, not its
usual rate of growth but not falling out either.
One of the things I’m also learning is patience. I’m just one of hundreds
seen daily many who are much more sick than I so their doctor time runs into mine
holding up the whole process ( I’m now an hour behind .and counting). So I
bring a tablet, I have my music, my book, and limited internet. A downside of
taking the week off is waiting to get paid for the time off. Doctors notes
don’t cut it, forms have to be filled, throw in Easter and I still haven’t been
paid for that first week off as I begin the next week off. All of this means of
course I require more notes and forms filled out, all of which just pleases the
doctor to no end. It is a good thing I have a benefit
plan that will kick in (eventually) and a spouse that works, I certainly don’t
know how a single income self employed person would survive this financially.
Another effect is the overall fatigue that attention loss. To do a
normal task such as prepping dinner, or typing a blog not only seems to take
much longer than it should, but the need for a nap is overwhelming and often
just happens. Not that many would consider that a bad thing but it is most
unusual for me. I usually can multitask but that also is a harder juggle than
usual. So maybe this isn’t all a bad thing either. Bill time maybe a good
thing. It might also be good that we have no spring/early summer air shows this
year, the bad thing is all of the shows to spectate at in the same time frame are
cancelled or this is their year off.
This has been third in a 6 dose cycle. Week one get the drug, Week
two have the symptoms fade, week three 85% back to normal. Then repeat. Ah well
this is for the greater good, I’m still looking down at the grass and not up at
it and that is always good.
Till next time.
